


wait for me

by PeachPoppy



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, Greek Mythology AU, Legacies AU, Posie AU, mythology AU, posie - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:40:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23556196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeachPoppy/pseuds/PeachPoppy
Summary: Penelope must convince the gods to allow her to be reunited with the love of her life.Inspired by classic Greek tragedies, based loosely on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.
Relationships: Penelope Park & Josie Saltzman, Penelope Park/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 25
Kudos: 91





	wait for me

**Author's Note:**

> i haven't written anything in quite a long time so i'm a little nervous about getting back into it - but i hope you all enjoy what i've written !! after kaylee posting a video of her singing a song from hadestown, i couldn't help but think that she would be the perfect eurydice. being a fan of greek mythology and the musical, i decided to make a posie au because that's just who i am. 
> 
> i'm sorry there isn't a realistic build-up to their relationship - it's based heavily off of old greek tragedies + you know, the whole love at first sight thing !!  
> so the pacing is very much bc of that !! please go easy on me and let me know what you think !! 
> 
> also follow me on twitter if you'd like !! @ modvrnlove !! 
> 
> x poppy
> 
> ( also stan hadestown )

The first time that Penelope had laid eyes on Josie’s blindingly bright, soft smile, she was almost certain that she’d fallen in love immediately. Despite the oversized, ratty coat with mismatched buttons and eccentric coloured and patterned patches from the wear and tear, and the dirt smeared on the side of her angelic face, Josie wore the biggest, sweetest smile that the dark-haired girl had ever seen. A smile that reached her dark brown eyes, which somehow themselves seemed warmer than the coffee Penelope made herself every morning before starting her day. The young girl looked worse for wear, but even then, she managed to maintain a positivity that Penelope often struggled hard to find. She’d seen the lithe, hungry orphan only a few times before she spontaneously decided to invite her home with her, offering a warm bed away from the wind and the snow, and little food – which just happened to be more than Josie was already getting. 

“How do I know you have good intentions?” the brunette had asked, crossing her arms over her chest, though they were barely distinguishable in the oversized sleeves of the coat, which seemed to almost hide the girl. She was taller than Penelope yet still seemed so small. “You’re not planning on robbing me, or selling me, are you? I can promise you I’m not worth that much.” She had a right to be distrustful.

“You’re worth a lot to me,” Penelope replied, perhaps a little too forward. If her mother could have heard her, she would have been scolded for being so eager. Her bright hazel eyes shone in contrast to her tanned skin. Josie was immediately drawn to her but was unlikely to admit it. “And I might not have much, but I can offer you more than what you have now. Is that not enough for now?”

Josie’s plump lips turned up into a smile, and Penelope couldn’t help herself but return it. “What do I have to lose?” she asked, shrugging with some difficulty due to the weight of the patchwork coat, “I’m Josie.”

“And I’m Penelope.”

She thought it strange. Her mother had often told her when she was a small child that her grandfather was the god Helios himself – the one who brought the sun to the sky each day with his chariot pulled by mighty steeds with names of fire. Yet when she looked at Josie, she could have sworn that it was Helios who had given her that smile – the smile that seemed to bring sunshine and happiness to Penelope’s seemingly cold heart from the very first day she’d met her.

* * *

“You play?”

Penelope noticed the girl tracing a fingernail down the side of the acoustic guitar sitting in the corner of the living room. It was evident that she was tempted to pluck at the strings, but was afraid to in case it was forbidden. “Yeah, I play. I had someone teach me when I was younger, though I can’t quite remember who…”

“I play too, a little. I met a man on the street who would play songs for coins. I would sing with him sometimes, but he taught me to play a few chords. Why don’t you play me something?” she asked, removing it from its position against the wall and holding it out towards the shorter woman.

Penelope hesitated to take the instrument, brows furrowing ever so slightly. How was she to explain that she couldn’t quite play the instrument without strange happenings following? Oftentimes she would sit in the garden and play a song, and the wind would whirl and blow the petals from the flowers and move them through the air like a tiny hurricane of colour. But she took the instrument in her hands anyway, “I mightn’t be any good compared to your busker.”

“I don’t mind, I just want to hear.”

The dark-haired girl wasn’t quite sure exactly how she’d learned to play. Whenever she tried to think back to her childhood and who might have taught her, the memories were hazy, almost like someone had cast a spell on her to make them seem that way. It was like trying to remember a dream that was dreamed nights ago, without writing any of the details down. She plucked at the strings with her fingers, playing a sweet melody that she heard Josie hum along to as she stared, big brown eyes full of wonder. It had been years since she’d played to anybody but herself, and her fingers moved like there was nothing more natural.

When the last note disappeared and the song finished, Josie had clasped her hands together to clap excitedly – but when she pulled them apart, a single, red carnation had appeared between her hands. With a loud gasp, she quickly caught it by the stem, careful not to crush the petals. Even though her hands weren’t clean, Josie’s hands seemed so gentle holding the red-petalled flower like that.

“Penelope! You have been touched by the gods,” Josie was in awe as she held the red flower up to examine. It was real – she could smell the natural, spicy, floral scent drifting from the soft red petals. Penelope might as well have been magical! And just like that, Josie had decided that she loved Penelope too.

* * *

The two of them lived a rather humble life together. Though the winter was cold, they huddled together beneath the worn blankets, tangled up in one another, peppering kisses all over one another. That was enough to keep them warm. Josie was hungry still, but she had a roof over her head – and company made it bearable. The two of them did what they could to get what little food they could, and sometimes they would hold each other as their stomachs and heads ached, desperate for some kind of energy to keep them functioning. But there were good days, too. Penelope would make enough from being a farmhand to get a fresh loaf of bread, or sometimes she would come home with eggs that she’d stolen from the farm. And Josie, with her deft fingers, would steal some fish from the markets for the two of them to gorge themselves on.

Despite the fact there were as many lows as there were highs, Josie had never felt so alive than she did when she was beside Penelope. And they lived this way for months and months until winter came.

“Do you think we’ll be together forever?” Penelope asked, fingers gently combing through Josie’s soft brown hair as the younger girl leaned her head against her shoulder.

“Forever? Yes. I think so. I don’t think I could ever give this feeling up,” she said honestly. “You gave me shelter, and you took care of me, even though you didn’t have much to give in the first place… you’re the one thing in this world I haven’t wanted to run away from.”

“I promise you I’ll never give you a reason to want to run away,” Penelope said boldly. Of course, she couldn’t ever be the judge of the brunette’s feelings, but all she knew is that she’d try her hardest to do what was best for her until the day she died. “I don’t think anyone could have loved anyone the way I love you. Ever. Aphrodite has blessed us.”

“Okay, okay, I believe you,” Josie laughed and smiled like sunshine before placing a gentle kiss against Penelope’s soft lips. “Aphrodite has blessed us. You must be hungry. I’ll fix us up something.”

“Can I help?”

“No, you’re a disaster,” the brunette teased, kissing Penelope’s cheeks before sliding off the sofa.

Josie hummed a little tune to herself in the kitchen, carefully slicing open a large, meaty fish that Penelope had purchased from the market the day before. It wasn’t often they could actually afford fish – so it was a special treat to eat without the guilty conscience of having been a thief. She turned up her nose as the scent of the flesh hit her nose. It had gone bad. So bad that if either of them was to try to eat it they’d surely get ill, which neither of them could afford. She was so frustrated with herself that she could cry, blaming herself for not storing the fish properly.

“Pen, I’m going to have to get some more fish,” she said, blinking back the tears. However, there was no response from the other girl. She tiptoed into the lounge, to find Penelope fast asleep on the sofa, curled up under an old woolen blanket. She suddenly didn’t feel like crying anymore. Penelope looked so small and so soft and so peaceful; she didn’t dare disturb her. She leaned over her lover and placed a gentle kiss against the girls’ forehead, whispering a soft, “I love you.” She opted for leaving Penelope a messy note on the bench, knowing that if she was quick, she’d make the market in time for their dinner.

The brunette wrapped herself in her oversized coat and the big red scarf that Penelope had so lovingly knitted for her for when the Winter came. Oftentimes she found herself wearing it even when it wasn’t cold, especially when Penelope was working or was absent for some other reason. Never in her life did she think she would ever be attached to anything, not a person or a place. But she’d grown so fond of Penelope and the little home they’d made together, that for once in her life she felt that she had something that would be forever.

She knew the fish market was near when the pungent smell hit her nostrils, shaking her head a little to shake the initial shock. There were rows and rows of stalls with open containers full of so many different types of fish and crustaceans that Josie couldn’t even name them all. She didn’t dare touch the more expensive items, for she wouldn’t have known how to eat it if she tried. It was easy for her to snatch some fish, shoving the slimy, spiny things inside her inner coat pockets, which of course would now need to be washed, when she had the time and energy. She wondered what it was like to be one of the women walking through the stalls well dressed in silks and laces, picking out what they liked, having it wrapped, tied with a twine bow and packed into a neat little bag for them. It must have been nice. But her mind went back to her home, and the warm bed she returned to every night with who she definitely knew was the love of her life. She wouldn’t trade such a thing for material things. A part of her knew that no matter how much she owned, nothing could fill the lonely void as Penelope did.

Josie’s hand reached for another fish.

“ _OI!_ ”

She felt as though her heart were about to burst out of her chest like she could go into cardiac arrest as the fishmonger waved his arm as he ran towards her like a bull after a waving red flag. (Josie swore that she could have seen a puff of angry, hot air escape his nostrils as he came after her.) Josie grasped the fish and spun quickly on her heels, snow crunching beneath her boots as she ran faster than she ever had. She was too fast for him, and she laughed breathlessly to herself as she could hear him yelling and screaming insults at her from down the road. She shoved the fish into another pocket as she ducked into a side alley. “Four,” she counted the fish aloud, a satisfied grin on her cherubic face, “This will make up for it,” she decided. Penelope would forgive her for ruining the first fish in a heartbeat now.

Her heavy leather boots were clicking against the cobblestone bricks that paved the alley, sticking out here and there as though a heavy vehicle had shaken them out of place. Josie stepped carefully so as not to trip, one step after the other. She hadn’t even noticed how the bricks were coated with smooth, slippery ice until it caused her to topple over backwards in what seemed like slow motion. She hit the ground with a thud, head meeting the sharp corner of cobblestone brick, sending a wave of excruciating pain through her skull. There were a few moments where she blinked and gasped for air though her lungs suddenly weren’t working anymore. Her body tensed, shook, and she had no control over herself. And just like that, she was gone, body going limp as blood trickled from the wound on the side of her head, down to her forehead and onto the bluestone beneath her.

* * *

Penelope smiled softly as she held the crumpled-up note in her hands. On the other side was a written receipt from the day before, from when Penelope had bought the fish for their dinner.

**Pen. I’ve ruined the fish and I’m awfully sorry. I’ve gone to get more. I’ll be sure to bring plenty so that you can feast when you wake up. I love you. x Jojo.**

Her writing was barely legible, showing that Josie had written it in a rush. She folded the note up and tucked it into the pocket of her skirt. She felt awfully sentimental about such things, and though she’d never told Josie, she enjoyed hoarding little keepsakes – even something as simple as a note apologizing for ruining dinner. The dark-haired girl then realized that she was reading the note by the light of the kitchen instead of the daylight coming through the window. It was almost completely dark outside. Meaning that the markets had closed hours earlier. It was unlike Josie to be out so late.

Penelope felt her heart sink, her stomach churn, like all of her organs were rearranging themselves inside of her. Her worst fear just might have happened. Josie could have been caught stealing - she could have been attacked by anybody looking for a young girl to overpower. _‘If only I hadn’t fallen asleep, I could have gone with her.’_ She’d never moved so quickly as when she pulled her thick navy coat off the hook and slid into it, not even bothering to button it up as she burst through the front door. Whether or not she was presentable to the public was the last thing on her mind.

“Have you seen a girl with a red scarf who smiles like sunshine?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“No, I haven’t seen anyone come by.”

“She was on ‘er way towards th’ markets last time I saw ‘er.”

It was awfully dark now, and Penelope had never been so grateful for street lights in her whole life despite the fact she was still squinting her eyes to be able to make shapes out in the darkness. She’d been walking so excessively that a thin layer of sweat had formed on her forehead despite it being so cold the ground was covered in snow and ice. She was near exhausted by the time she came across a dim little alley that she took one glance down and thought, _‘that’s not where I’m going to find her.’_ But there was something in her gut that told her to stop. And look again.

It was dark down there. But the dark mass towards the end of the alley suddenly started to look a lot like a person slumped over on the ground. Her breath hitched. Was she even breathing anymore? She wasn’t sure. Her steps were slow – so slow it felt like she wasn’t even moving. It could have been anything. _Anyone_ , if it were a person. Her body screamed at her as her eyes filled with tears, making it even harder to distinguish exactly what it was.

The splash of bright red wool made it evident without Penelope having to see her face. A few steps closer and she could see the yellow polka-dot patch on the right elbow of her coat – the one Penelope had sewn in herself. Her entire being wracked with guilt and panic and shock and a strange calm washed over her for just a moment. “Josie?” she asked, voice breaking as her knees buckled beneath her, kneeling beside the lithe girl lying still and lifeless in the snow. Slender fingers brushed a strand of Josie’s soft, dark hair from her forehead, revealing the blood that had fallen there. Her face had gone pale, blue, almost. “Josie.” She was cold. Of course, she was cold, she’d fainted in the snow. She could just be unconscious, and her skin would be cold to the touch due to the weather. Penelope held her face, leaning down and kissing her lips softly, “Jojo, come on,” she whispered. “Please…” she kissed her forehead. She was so _very_ cold.

Penelope lifted Josie into a sitting position with difficulty, holding her close to her body as though that would help warm her up. She knew that Josie would not come back to her, but she wasn’t ready to let go.

* * *

The trek home was gruelling. Penelope had stripped Josie of the heavy coat with its pockets full of fish, and she’d hauled her onto her back, the girls chin leaning on Penelope’s shoulder as she hauled her through the city streets. The dead girl still donned the red scarf Penelope had knitted her. She knew that the girl wouldn’t want it to have been left behind. She prayed to the gods that Josie’s soul would make an easy trip to the meadows of Asphodel. She’d hardly lived long enough to make it to Elysium. Surely the gods would have mercy on her, understanding that her petty crimes were only committed to keeping herself alive. And only just. There wasn’t a way that such a sweet, tender soul belonged in the pits of Tartarus. However, she knew that Josie would require a burial- with a coin under her tongue - before she even got the chance to meet the judges of the underworld. 

“I’m so sorry Josie,” her body was wracked with sobs as she trudged through the freshly fallen snow on the path to their home. _Their_ home. The little bluestone house looked empty. Soulless. Not even the warm, brick-red tiles on the roof gave it any warmth. Neither did the orange light radiating inside. Even though Penelope had lived there before she’d met Josie, it would never be the same.

Josie was buried by the overgrown oak tree in the yard, and Penelope sat in the cold, in the mud. Her coat was dark, but it was soaked through and covered in filth. She held her guitar in her lap and her fingers strummed as she sang one last song for her love. A song about how the death of Josie was the death of Penelope’s whole world. About how she didn’t deserve to hold her, yet she had the pleasure of doing so. About how she would never care so deeply or so greatly about anything for as long as she lived, which might not have been so long – for she felt she would soon die of a broken heart.

The wind was rushing around her now in a violent flurry, the dying leaves of the old oak tree rustling wildly as the tiny snowflakes stung her skin. Everything around her seemed to fall still as soon as she fell silent, sobbing still. Petals of dying flowers and browned leaves rested on top of the muddy grave she had just dug.

“Poor, poor girl.”

Penelope looked up, hazel eyes opened wide as she noticed a man standing before her. How on earth did he get there without her noticing him? She dried her eyes and tried to look stoic, despite the heaviness of her heart. He was tall, broad, with dark skin that seemed warm. His hair was greyed, and though he didn’t look a day over fifty, his golden eyes said that he’d lived many lifetimes.

“You’ve moved me. You’ve moved everything. The trees mourn with you. The ocean, the rivers, the living, the dead. Your song has touched us. Poor mortal – the pain you must be in,” the mans’ deep voice was soft and sympathetic.

“Who are you?”

“Someone you knew once. A friend of your grandfathers.”

“I never knew my grandfather.”

He nodded as if he already knew.

“I don’t know what to do. I’m nothing without her,” Penelope sniffled, tears filling her reddened eyes once more. She found it near impossible to keep herself under control, even in front of the stranger.

“If you truly think you’re nothing without her… I can give you a suggestion,” his golden eyes twinkled, even in the dim light of the streetlight. It was evident to the mourning girl that he was something not entirely human.

“What do you suggest?”

The man slipped his hand into the pocket of his perfectly tailored pinstripe suit, retrieving a big, shiny gold coin, chipped slightly around the edges as though it had passed through thousands of hands before. “This could sustain you for a while. Get you some food and firewood. Or…”

“Or?” she was sceptical.

“You can take a trip down underground… with my blessing. Slip this under your tongue and give it to my acquaintance, Charon… in return for a trip across the Acheron and the Styx. No doubt you’ll find your love there in the underworld if you truly love her,” the man suggested, flipping the coin up into the air and catching it in his large palm before holding it out to the small girl who was huddled in the snow.

“Who are you?” Penelope repeated.

“I’m Hermes, child. A god who is offering you his blessing. Now, grandchild of the sun – make a decision. Do you love her so much that you’d go to the depths of the underworld in an attempt to save her?” he motioned his palm towards her again, prompting her to take the gold coin.

“I would do anything to have her back.” Penelope’s hand seemed so small next to his, delicate fingers plucking the coin and tucking it into the pocket by her breast.

“There’s your answer.”

“How do I get there?”

“There’s only one way. The train to the underworld won’t come for the living… and the way is long. And there are… conditions. Along the railway tracks, you’ll find the path. You must wander alone. In the darkness. You’re to keep your head looking forward or else you’ll never find your way. The second you look behind you, you’ll ruin any and all chances of finding your love. It’s with my assistance that you’ll get there. So you must abide by my conditions. Do you understand?”

The girl nodded, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her coat, in a place she knew wasn’t soaked with muddy water. She’d memorized everything he said with the utmost determination. “Thank you.”

“Bring your guitar. You’ve been touched by the gods, child. As long as you have that with you, you’ll have the power to charm anyone who hears you.”

* * *

Penelope stared down the railway line with squinted eyes, desperately trying to see in the dark. The clouds had blocked out most of the moonlight, making it hard for her to walk along without catching her feet between the heavy wooden planks and tripping herself up. The soles of her feet ached as she trudged across the stones of the track. Every now and again her hand would reach up to her breast pocket to be sure the golden coin that the god had given her was still in its place.

There seemed to be a dark mountainous mass ahead of her. Though the girl could have sworn she’d been walking for hours yet it never seemed to get any closer until she could feel that the track had started to decline. The closer she got, the more she could make out the shapes of the mass. It seemed to be a tunnel – the sort any old train would travel through – and she assumed there was a road atop it for cars to get to the city from the country. If it were any ordinary tunnel, that is. She wondered how far from the city she was now, but she didn’t dare turn back. To pass the time, she hummed to herself, a little out of tune due to her breathlessness. She continuously had to choke back tears and try her very hardest to be strong – to believe in herself. She was going to go to the underworld and save Josie no matter what.

An undetermined amount of time passed before she finally reached the mouth of the tunnel. She stared hard, trying to see if there was anything she could make out – or if she could find the other side of the tunnel. But there was nothing. Just a pitch-black hole. With a heavy breath, she continued on. Penelope had never been scared of the dark until now. Though she was alone, she certainly didn’t feel it. She couldn’t see anything – not even her own hand in front of her face, which seemed to slow her pace to something excruciatingly slow. It took everything in her not to look back in hopes of some light source.

At first, she thought that her eyes were adjusting to the darkness when she noticed that if she focused very hard, she could see the ground she was walking on. There were no more tracks. _‘When did it change?’_ she thought to herself as she noticed her eyesight getting clearer and clearer with every step. There was a faint, warm light now – something like the orange glow of a dying fire. She was no longer in just a tunnel, but in a cave, walls dripping with something that looked like black tar, sharp stones crunching beneath her leather boots with each exhausting step.

The further she walked, the larger the cave seemed to get. Along the walls of the cave, there were little ridges and cliffs which seemed to hold malevolent shadows with glowing orange eyes that almost seemed to be made of the same light that lit the way for Penelope now. She could have sworn she heard them whispering. She bit her lower lip and refused to turn around despite how close the voices seemed.

“You will never feel such pain as losing the one you loved most.”

Penelope stopped in her tracks, almost whipping her head around. But she didn’t. _‘I have to stay strong for Josie. I mustn’t look behind me or I’ll lose her forever.’_

“What if you’ve travelled all this way and it’s all for naught?”

She took it step by step as she approached a smaller cave entrance, similar to the size of the entrance of the tunnel that she’d first entered. There was a light at the end of this one – red and warm. She exhaled shakily.

“Aren’t you getting tired now? You should take a nice, long _rest_.”

Penelope did suddenly realize just how exhausted she was. Her body felt heavy and every step felt as though she were carrying a weight on her back. Like when she carried Josie… hazel eyes furiously blinked back tears and she marched on, refusing to humour them. _‘I’m coming Josie. I’m coming. Please hold on.’_

“Aren’t you hurting?”

And she was. But the agony that Penelope felt wasn’t physical. Her heart weighed heavy in her chest, heavier than her body felt to her feet. She was sure no-one had ever suffered as much as she suffered at that moment – no matter how selfish the thought was. With a deep breath, she broke into a sprint – pushing her body harder than she ever had before. Her boots were kicking up stones, and she could have sworn that the ground had gotten softer just to prohibit her from getting to where she needed to be. As she burst into the mouth of the smaller cave, she could have sworn she felt hands reaching for her as the whispers beckoned for her.

The walls were damp – she could see the faint glimmer of the red light against them as she continued onwards, trying to see exactly what awaited her on the other side. Her nostrils were full of a mossy, dirty smell that she was surprisingly thankful for, after the rumours of the underworld smelling like sulphur. Stepping out into the open, she realized that ahead of her was the Acheron. There was no ceiling, instead, it just appeared to be an endless black void above her. Penelope couldn’t pinpoint the warm light source – only knowing it was a glow and it lit her way in the most ominous manner. Several feet ahead of her was a man who could only be described as an intelligent-looking ferryman, leaning against an oar beside a boat. Her hand reached up, realizing it had been some time since she’d checked her pocket for the coin. _Phew._ She pulled it out and slid the decently sized coin beneath her tongue, keeping her mouth closed as she approached the bearded stranger.

He looked her up and down with eyes icy and glazed over. He looked as though he were dead, or at the very least; entirely blind. However, he reached forward, pushing two fingers past her plump lips to retrieve the coin from under her tongue, nodding with approval. “Board.” His voice was soft and alluring.

She’d almost gagged but managed to keep her composure. “Thank you,” Penelope said, a little unsure of herself. It prompted a chuckle from the red-bearded man. Did the dead normally thank Charon for his services? Or was she giving herself away in doing so? It didn’t matter, either way, she had had Hermes blessing to travel to the underworld, and there wasn’t much Charon could do about it. It was unlike her to think of manners when there were such important matters at hand, but the last thing she wanted to do was anger someone in the underworld – a place she would inevitably end up someday.

* * *

Penelope looked back, trying to focus her eyes to see exactly how far she’d come. It was hard to say, after the twists and the turns of both the Acheron and the Styx. Her stomach was churning after the ferry rides, each push of the paddle stirring up a sick, sweet, rotting stench from the rivers below. The girl could have sworn she saw faces staring hauntingly up at her from the depths of the deepwater – but after everything she’d experienced, she wasn’t sure if it had been real or just her imagination.

On this side of the bank, it seemed to be bustling with figures, all seemingly lost on which way to go or what to do. They bumped into one another as they filed down the paths towards the clearing in which sat three thrones, all occupied by large, bearded men talking softly amongst themselves, only to motion for crowds to venture this way and that. Anxiety tugged at all of her insides. ‘I’ve been blessed by Hermes. Surely if I can pass Charon, I can pass the judge’s and find the meadows of Asphodel,’ she thought to herself, puffing out her chest and finding a crowd to blend into.

Penelope made sure to look just as, well, _dead_ , like the others. Her eyes weren’t focused, and her mouth hung open just a little, enough to make her seem like she wasn’t completely in control of herself – as though her mind were well and truly slipping away. She’d had plenty of practice pretending to be sick in order to get out of doing her chores when she was younger – but her acting was now to be judged by the judges of the underworld.

It was almost too easy. The three figures upon their thrones hadn’t even so much as glimpsed at her the way they did the other inhabitants, continuing to point this way and that, leading the dead from one side to another in the fashion of a shepherd herding sheep. Penelope slipped into the crowd that had been headed towards a square opening that was grey and bleak but full of flora. It was evident that time worked very differently in the underworld. One moment she was shuffling alongside the spirits so that she wouldn’t get caught if a judge were to look behind his shoulder. The next, she was near the meadow and far from the beginning of that very path.

“This is what it is,” Penelope said quietly. The spirits beside her had acted as though she’d said nothing at all. As though no words were coming from her lips. The lighting was different now. It was a dull white glow, illuminating the field of weeds and making everything appear incredibly ugly, dull and grey – the ghosts of the dead included. “This is what death is…” she felt a sudden wave of panic wash over her as she realized this was where her Josie was. This is where her love had been. Had it only been hours, or had it felt like an eternity to the girl with the sunshine smile?

It was hard to tell anyone apart in such a grim, dreary setting. Every time she looked at a face, it felt as though she’d never seen it before – even the person right beside her. Penelope wasn’t easy to scare. But she was _frightened_.

“Josie!”

There was no response.

“Josie!”

Nothing.

“Jojo!” the last syllable was drawn out.

There was a whisper and a shuffle of spirits in the distance. Perhaps not everyone was completely numb, but none of them were the person she was looking for. The dark-haired girl stood still, just like the majority of the people in the field surrounding her. Surely the meadows of Asphodel were endless. There had been so many people to die, there was no possibility of there being an _end_. Hot tears filled her eyes. No-one could hear her. Not even Josie. Careful of the apathetic spirits around her, she cautiously swung her guitar around to the front, fingers plucking slowly and sadly at the strings. It was a rendition of the song she’d dedicated to her dead lover. A song about pain and loss and frustration – things she was all too familiar with now. As she sang, the grass and the flowers by her feet started to move as though there was a gust of wind – which was physically impossible in their current location.

Penelope sang one note after another and played one chord after the other. She wouldn’t have noticed the carnations sprouting at her feet if it weren’t for their bright red colouring that just so happened to catch the corner of her eye. She continued to hum, to sing, to play her guitar like she knew absolutely nothing else as the flame in her heart grew hotter, and hotter, and burned brighter than anything in the whole Asphodel meadow. She eagerly followed the flowers, one step after the other as they sprouted in the field, petals breaking off and drifting away behind her as the wind followed her every move. She was never sure of her gift, or what it meant, but now she’d never been surer of anything. Penelope knew that her gift was meant for this exact moment. 

The flowers had led to a more wooded area, scented like pine and damp soil. It wasn’t too dense, the trees sparse enough for the flowers to continue on their clear path, and for Penelope to follow. The girl had so many questions about the underworld, the meadows of Asphodel in particular, but she pushed that aside and sang a song of guilt and shame and self-blame – putting her innermost feelings out into the world for all to hear. She noticed now that the dead around her were blinking more consciously. A lot of them seemed to be at peace as the music rang through the quiet space.

Something had suddenly stood out to her. A tiny burst of colour through the dull, seemingly monochromatic trees. An overgrown oak tree. Though she’d started to dissociate from the world she was now in, Penelope was grounded by the sight of the familiar tree, and the way the red carnations sprouted in a path right to it.

“Josie.”

There was no response. Only a bright flourish of colour in an indent in the ground just beside it. _‘That’s where I buried her.’_ Penelope’s heart sank once more. The memory of finding her love dead and cold and alone in the streets came back to her, and her eyes flooded with tears once more. “Josie…” she whimpered with a final strum, and the flowers grew no more. She moved the guitar to her back.

Red carnations were crushed beneath her leather boots as she sprinted to the edge of the shallow grave. It had only been a day – or had it? Time was different in the underworld, and Penelope was starting to feel like she’d been searching for Josie for whole lifetimes – and she feared that she might forget what her face looked like. But she was there. It was painful. Looking at her like that. Lying peacefully amongst the carnations as though she were in a deep sleep. Like a princess in a fairytale waiting for true love’s kiss to wake her up, and everything would be fine. But Penelope knew that it wasn’t going to be so simple.

Josie was pale and grey, just like the rest of the spirits in the meadow. It was as if someone had turned the saturation of the world down to it’s lowest aside from the tree and the flowers. Penelope reached down to touch a warm hand to a cold, dead cheek. She did not stir.

“Josie.”

Nothing.

“Think Penelope, think,” she told herself sternly.

She had remembered the stories that her mother had told her of the afterlife. The poor girl had to shove the idea that her mother was emotionless and empty in a place like this to the back of her mind and instead make room for the warm memories of sitting by the fire with the woman, enthralled in whatever tale she told. Penelope recalled her mother once saying that some spirits needed life essence in order to truly become themselves again. But what exactly was _life essence?_

She leaned down over the lifeless girl and gave her a kiss – soft but full of love. Perhaps life essence was a kiss. A kiss that would breathe life back into Josie. But she didn’t stir. And nothing changed. “Jojo…” Penelope’s voice broke, tears continuing to flow as she wracked her brain for _some_ idea, _something, anything._ Her tears dripped onto Josie’s cherubic face.

Penelope’s hands searched the floor of the clearing, fingers desperately raking through the colourless, dry grass and dirt until her fingers wrapped around a pointed stone. She examined its edges, letting out a shaky breath before she drew the cold, jagged mineral across her palm, an agonized groan escaping her lips as it tore through her skin with effort. She slowly held it over her lover, tilting it ever so slightly so that the blood dripped slowly onto Josie’s plump lips. It seemed to evaporate almost immediately, and as it did, Josie’s appearance seemed to change.

Josie’s cheeks flushed pink the same way they did when she got frustrated over the smallest of problems, or when Penelope covered her smiling face in tiny kisses, or when she’d accidentally fallen asleep by the fireplace and had woken up a toasty pink from the heat. Hazel eyes examined her carefully, and a breath was held for an agonizingly long time. Then her dark eyes fluttered open.

“It’s you.”

Penelope could see the confusion in Josie’s face.

“It’s me.”

“Penelope!”

“Josie.”

“I had the strangest dream,” Josie appeared to be in some kind of daze, as though she’d just woken from a deep sleep. She lifted a hand to her head, and a soft gasp escaped her plump lips as soon as she felt the damp spot on her head, where the wound had been bleeding. Her entire expression changed, and she looked completely and utterly shattered. “Penelope, how did you get here?” Josie was suddenly filled with anxiety. The memory had come flooding back to her – hitting her head on the pavement, the pain she felt and the way she struggled to catch her breath. Her journey over the Acheron and Styx, and her judgement. She hadn’t lived long enough to do anything significant enough for entry to Elysium. And Penelope – was she dead? Was she so heartbroken that she’d sacrificed herself to be with her again?

Penelope pulled her thin frame into her arms, holding her tighter than she ever had before. “I walked. A long way. It felt like forever. But I had to find you,” she told her, burying her face into the crook of Josie’s neck. “Josie I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

A soft hand tangled itself into Penelope’s dark hair, gently massaging her scalp through the mess of her locks. “It’s not your fault. Please don’t blame yourself, Pen…” Josie kissed her hair, her other arm wrapping around Penelope and holding her just as tight.

“If I had just been there – “

“There wasn’t anything you could have done. These things just happen,” the dark-eyed girl said softly, brows furrowing as her eyes filled with tears. How on earth were they going to get out of this mess?

“You have to come home with me.”

“There’s something I forgot to mention,” a third voice said from behind the dead girl. Penelope recognized Hermes immediately, himself being another pop of colour in the dull, emotionless field as he leaned against the overgrown oak tree. “I can give you a pathway out of Asphodel, back to Hades. But you must get his blessing to take Josie’s soul from his underworld. Otherwise, you’d be cursing her to disappear forever, taking her without his knowledge.”

The embrace between the two girls was broken, and Josie turned in her grave to see the man, who had led her to the underworld, to begin with. “Why would Hades ever let me leave?” she asked, pout in full force as tears softly rolled down her cheeks. Penelope reached forward and held her face, thumbs pushing the beads of water away. “Why would he let _me_ leave?”

“You don’t know Hades as I do, mortals.”

“My journey here can not have been for nothing,” Penelope said seriously, hazel eyes staring adoringly into sad, brown ones – a little duller than they usually were. Josie’s cheeks were still pink – it was something that happened often when she got upset. She kissed her for just a moment, and as she did, she could see the difference in Josie’s body language. The younger girl seemed a little less tense. “I made it all the way here. I made it by Charon, and through the judges of the underworld. I found you… within these fields that hold millions and millions of souls. I refuse to believe I don’t stand a chance against Cerberus, and that I can’t convince the king of the underworld himself to let you leave with me.”

Hermes laughed, hearty and warm. His gold eyes shone, and Penelope found herself growing quite fond of him, just as he had grown fond of her. “Your belief in yourself is admirable. And it just might be the thing that gets your through this, descendant of the sun. When this is through, your tale will be told for centuries… and when you leave the wooded area, you will find yourself at Hades gates. Be wary of the mighty Cerberus. You will only have one chance to charm him.”

“Thank you,” Penelope nodded as Josie leaned into her with relief.

“Good luck.” And with that, Hermes slid behind the overgrown oak tree and disappeared.

* * *

The two of them had stayed embracing for a short while, fingers running through each other’s hair and kissing each other all over. To the two of them, it felt like they had been apart for centuries. The self-indulgent reunion had to put on hold, however, as they had decided together that the sooner they escaped the depths of this hell, the better. 

Penelope and Josie walked hand in hand, in the direction that Penelope’s beautiful, but dying red carnations had previously come from. It had only taken several minutes until they’d reached a clearing, where the meadow of Asphodel had ended abruptly. Josie turned around suddenly, and the landscape behind them had changed altogether, the pathway of Hermes having disappeared entirely. Now everything around them was black and dark and made of a heavy, jagged stone. The ground before them appeared to be dark, glossy obsidian, and the sound of their boots hitting the surface echoed around the dark stone walls.

Ahead of them were the gates to Hades, tall and foreboding – dark and made of what seemed to be black iron. But Penelope’s eye had been caught by the gigantic beast that was staring directly at them with piercing black eyes. It started to growl, so deep and low that the girls felt the ground beneath them shake. “Stay behind me,” Penelope told the taller girl, taking a step forward. Cerberus hit a large paw against the ground and the creature huffed, stringy black liquid dripping from the three-headed canines' noses and onto the ground.

Instead of settling still, the pool of blackness at the dogs' feet started to squirm and move towards them. Penelope stepped backwards, bumping into the girl who was desperately clinging to her from behind. The pool came for them with a choir of hissing. Penelope realized immediately that it wasn’t a pool of black liquid at all, but hundreds of black vipers squirming and striking and hissing as they moved at an incredible speed.

Penelope took several steps forward, swinging her guitar around and strumming a slightly off chord just as the snakes had reached her feet. She’d closed her eyes, her heart pounding so hard in her chest that she could hear it above the beasts growls and the snakes hissing. She kept her hands busy, strumming a soft little tune as she could see nothing but the blackness of the back of her eyelids.

“They’re not attacking…” Josie spoke softly, the trembling voice evidence of her fear of the reptiles. She hated how tense Penelope looked – it was a giveaway that the older girl was afraid. “They’re listening.”

It was Josie’s statement that gave the girl the confidence to open her eyes again. The snakes, though still squirming, were slower, their tiny little heads swaying softly from one side to the other, little beaded eyes focused on her. She let out a shaky breath and she started to sing.

The song was different this time. It was a story of love. A story of a girl who travelled to the depths of hell to find her love, who was taken from her too soon. A tale of loss and love and destiny. And as the giant beast before the gate to Hades laid on its stomach, its big paws stretched out in front of it, the snakes cleared the path for her.

“Come, Josie.”

Josie stepped quickly, taking a fistful of Penelope’s blouse as if that would stop the two of them from being separated again. She walked carefully so as not to tread on her heels, but so close that Penelope feared she just might. Penelope continued to play as they walked through the clearing, boots clicking loudly against the smooth stone surface beneath them.

The huge beast heaved with every calm breath, and its fierce, glowing red eyes had softened. As they approached, it was apparent that the tail of the dog was not that of an ordinary dog, but instead was a huge viper – a black, scaled reptile that looked as though it could swallow either of the girls whole if it wanted to. But it too was relaxed, watching them with slit pupils as it rested its head on the back of the beast. Penelope found herself wondering if all four heads were their own being, or if they all shared a mind. She didn’t want to stay and test out her theories. Josie clenched her fist tighter as they passed the beast, so large that they could feel the heat radiating from its fur without even having to touch it.

Penelope had ceased strumming, and the beast stayed in its restful position. They stared up at the gates. It was taller than any building they’d ever seen. Perhaps it was tall enough to match a building that could be fifty floors high, or perhaps Penelope was just exaggerating it in her head considering she’d never actually seen a building as tall as the gate before them.

“How do we get in?” Josie asked, pressing the front of her body against her lover now that they were in a considerably safer situation. Penelope found comfort in the gesture. “I don’t suppose we could push them. Is there a lever?” As if on cue, the ground began to shake. Cerberus didn’t even flinch – a sign that the creature was used to the low rumble of the gates being pulled away from the two girls, who looked like ants in comparison to the space they were in. Even though the world had always seemed so large to them, they’d never felt so small.

They trembled as the gates opened to the throne, and Josie gave Penelope a reassuring squeeze. “I believe in you.” Even still, Penelope felt anxiety stir in the very pit of her stomach as the gods were revealed at the top of a terrifyingly tall staircase. They stepped forward – but all it took was a blink, and they were standing before the throne, the staircase already behind them. The god and his goddess examined the two girls carefully.

Hades was a tall, dark man. His eyes were dark, almost black, and when Penelope looked into them, she could have sworn she saw a whole galaxy in them. Beside him was his beautiful wife, tall and slender with dark auburn hair that cascaded down her shoulders.

“How very touching,” Persephone’s angelic voice rang. Her smile was evidence enough that the song had touched her in a way it definitely hadn’t touched her husband – her cheeks were rosy with delight. “You would really travel all the way here to save your love?”

Hades grunted, leaning forward to speak. “All of the souls in the underworld belong to me, child. You dare to come to my realm to take one of them from me? You are a fool.”

“I came to ask permission,” Penelope said boldly, loud and clear for the god to hear. “I came to play you my song in hopes you would have pity on us, my lord.”

The king leaned back in his chair, glancing to his queen to the left of him. Persephone gave him a stern expression as if to tell him to ease up without having to use words. Josie smiled softly. She often felt that Penelope and herself understood each other just like that. So much time had passed, yet Hades and Persephone still loved one another. She knew that the love she shared with Penelope would survive the test of time also. 

“Do you not remember how you would and **did** do _anything_ for me when you first fell in love with me, Hades?” Persephone asked him a little condescendingly. Of course, Penelope knew exactly what she was talking about. Thousands of years ago, Hades had kidnapped his wife so that she could rule the underworld with him. It was pure luck that the woman had grown fond of him. It was clear that the god of the underworld had a different moral compass. Penelope only hoped he would find it in his heart to have some pity on the two of them.

The man sighed. His wife knew him too well, and she smiled as though she knew she’d gotten through to him with that question alone. “I did what I had to do to win you, my love.”

“And this descendent of Helios has done the same. She has been blessed by Hermes himself in order to be here. She is no mere mortal, Hades. Though not a demigod, she has power. And her heart is full of love. I could feel it in that song,” she argued.

“I’ve never known someone with so much love in their heart!” Josie beamed, locking arms with her lover proudly. “I was taken so soon, my lord. Penelope only wanted to give me a second chance.”

“I suppose you’re right… perhaps your song reminded me of the earlier days when I would dedicate love songs to my wife and we would dance…” his cold expression changed entirely, a smile reaching his eyes as he took his wife’s hand. His harsh eyes met Penelope’s. “The only way I’ll allow you to take this soul from me is if you prove yourself worthy.”

“How?” she’d asked the question a little too quickly, proving her eagerness.

“When you leave, you must walk through the cold darkness, not side by side and hand in hand, but single file. If you make it out without turning back to look at her, or holding onto one another, then you can have her,” Hades told her very sternly. Persephone’s brows knitted together with nervousness, squeezing his hand in an attempt to get him to ease up on them. He simply pulled his hand away from her. “You did not die for your love, mortal. You should be thankful that I give you this chance when you have given so little for her.”

“I can do what you ask. Easily,” it was feigned confidence, and Josie knew it – for she squeezed her arm reassuringly, “I can prove to you that I deserve her. And you promise to give her to me? This is not a trick?”

“Not a trick. A test.” 

“We can do it,” Josie confirmed.

“Go forth then, mortals. Hermes will create a pathway out of this place. But you must remember, do not turn back. Your faith in each other will be what gets you out. And I must remind you – a mortal may only ender the underworld once. If you’re ever to return, you must die,” Persephone told them.

* * *

Hermes awaited them at the bottom of the staircase, which in itself was a gruelling walk. Though he seemed as warm as ever, there was a wrinkle in his brow that told Penelope he was concerned. It made her nervous. How bad must the challenge have been, to make the herald of the gods look so nervous? “Remember, descendent of the sun, it is not the gods you should fear, but the voice inside your head. It may be loud, and it may try to drown you out, but you mustn’t let it. You must prevail.”

“Thank you… for everything,” Penelope bowed her head towards him, “Thank you for believing in me.”

“My faith in you is only so useful. It’s time for you to believe in yourself. Do _not_ turn back.”

“I won’t.”

A tunnel had been opened in the dark, rocky wall of the cave in which Cerberus had been resting still. It was just as it was when Penelope had started her journey. Pitch black and empty, no light at the end, just endless blackness. The idea terrified her. Would it be the same distance as before? Or would it be an impossibly long journey that would no doubt cause her to fail? She shook the ideas from her head. With Josie by her side she had a confidence that she hadn’t held before.

“Kiss me one last time before we go,” Josie gave Penelope that sunshine smile of hers, grasping her hands in her own, “It’s going to be easy. We just need to make it to the end, and we’ll have forever together.”

“Forever,” Penelope’s expression softened as she leaned in, catching Josie’s plump lips in her own. She kissed her deeply, lovingly, hands releasing Josie’s so that she could tangle them in her soft locks. “I’ll see you on the other side?”

“I’ll see you on the other side,” Josie nodded before giving Penelope one last kiss. “Wait for me. I’m coming with you. Okay? Don’t be scared.”

“I will.” The short-haired girl turned around and took a step towards the tunnel. She wanted nothing more than for Josie to take her hand and hold it the whole way through. That way she would know the gods weren’t taking her for a fool. That way she would know Josie would really be with her on the other side of the tunnel. But she knew this was a test of her patience and faith – and she couldn’t let her lover down. She wouldn’t.

Penelope walked at a quick pace as she entered the tunnel. Once again, it was so dark that if she held her hand in front of her face, she was unable to see it. Despite the anxiety of tripping on something and falling flat on her face, she continued to walk – march, even – through the darkness, hoping that she would reach the other side sooner rather than later.

Josie felt as though she were holding her breath as she followed close behind, scared that perhaps she wouldn’t walk fast enough and maybe she would lose Penelope in the darkness. But she also feared to get too close – if they touched, she would lose her chance of following Penelope to the end of the tunnel, and she couldn’t bear the thought of ruining all of her lovers’ hard work. Though facing a difficult task, Josie smiled to herself in the dark, knowing that when it was done, they’d have an entire lifetime to spend together.

After a while, Penelope had begun to realize that the only footsteps she could hear inside the narrow cave walls were her own. She thought perhaps she’d started to go mad. She listened closely as she walked, even holding her breath so that she could hear over her own laboured breathing. There was nothing. Just the crunch of her own boots in the stones as she marched on.

“Jojo?” her voice seemed to bounce off of the walls. But there was no response.

It was now that Josie realized that though she spoke, she couldn’t be heard. “Yes?” she’d replied. But Penelope hadn’t continued. Instead, just called her name again. It was now she realized she could only hear one set of footsteps in the darkness, and they weren’t her own. ‘ _What a horrible, horrible trick.’_ She thought to herself. As if the challenge itself weren’t hard enough – Penelope now was unaware if Josie was there at all.

“It must be a trick. She has to be here, but I can’t hear her,” Penelope said out loud. It was a habit she’d had since she could remember – speaking to herself aloud to prevent a complete meltdown. “She’s here. She has to be… Hermes would have told me if something was wrong. He would have warned me,” what an assumption to make about someone she’d hardly known.

Now all she could hear was her own breath and her own footsteps and her own heart beating aggressively in her chest as the anxiety built up and up, causing a tightness in the centre of her chest. Josie felt tears well up in her eyes as Penelope’s breathing became heavy. She wanted nothing more than to hold her and reassure her – tell her everything was going to be just fine, so long as they made it to the end of the tunnel. “I’ll be with you until the end of our days, Penelope. We just need to make it to the end, my love. I believe in you more than anything.” Aware that Penelope was unable to hear her, she only hoped that she could feel the sentiment in her heart.

_‘Keep going.’_

_‘Keep going.’_

_‘Only a little longer now.’_

Penelope was trying to convince herself that it wouldn’t be long until she reached the end. She’d taken the long journey the first time, after all. She’d made it all the way to the underworld, to the meadow of Asphodel, past Cerberus and the king of hell himself. Making her way back should have been the easiest thing, knowing that when she got there, Josie would be there too.

But the doubt in her mind was nagging at her. Pulling at her heart and her organs, making her feel sick. Perhaps they had tricked her. Perhaps Josie had been dragged back to Asphodel the second that Penelope had stepped foot into the tunnel, and that’s why she hadn’t been able to hear her. She remembered what Hades had said. _‘You did not die for your love, mortal. You should be thankful that I give you this chance when you have given so little for her.’_ Perhaps, had the gods tricked her into thinking she’d had a chance, without actually giving her one? All because she didn’t think to kill herself for the chance to see her love again? Tears filled her eyes and she sniffled as she continued to march. Why would Hermes have told her to make the trek if it was all for nothing?

“I’m right behind you,” Josie said aloud, fingernails digging into her own upper arms through her blouse as she walked behind her, desperately holding herself back from reaching to touch the girl in front of her. It broke her heart to hear her cry without being able to do anything about it.

It was then Penelope had realized that she could see her surroundings very faintly. Dark, damp cave walls were within arm’s reach on either side of her, and the ground was covered in small stones that made the arches of her feet hurt when she stood on them the wrong way. She wondered if Josie reached towards her, if her soft fingers would graze against her back. Or if the gods had made her a fool.

Ahead of them, in the distance, they could see a circle of light. The sun had come up in the land of the living, and they were almost there. Penelope swallowed hard and marched harder. If she’d gone any faster, she would have been jogging – but the girl was eager to get out and embrace her lover once more after their horrible ordeal.

“It’s okay Josie… we’re almost there,” she breathed, one hand reaching up to grasp the guitar strap over her shoulder, just to _hold_ something. “Josie…” Where was she?

“We’re almost there,” Josie said enthusiastically, “We’re almost there…”

Penelope cried. What if Josie had decided that she preferred being in the meadow of Asphodel? What if she had changed her mind halfway through? She had nothing to offer her in the land of the living. Little food, a warm bed, that was all she had to offer her. At least in the underworld, Josie would never have to be cold or hungry ever again. Penelope wouldn’t have blamed her for turning her back.

“I’m here,” Josie breathed. She was aching all over, exhausted from the long walk, but she increased her pace to keep up with the shadowy figure of Penelope in the darkness. “I’m not giving up on you.”

Walking alone in the darkness had Penelope doubt everything she’d ever known. She had never felt so unsure of herself in her life, despite being raised by a strong woman who always told her that she could be whatever she wanted to be, and do whatever she put her mind to. She was beginning to think her mother said things like that out of sympathy for the pathetic girl. Perhaps she truly was pathetic. And the gods had decided to take the one thing she loved away from her as a cruel joke. She remembered what Hermes had said. ‘ _When this is through, your tale will be told for centuries…’_ he had said. Was it a tale of a hero saving their love, or the tale of a pathetic mortal who thought they could take a soul from the kind of the underworld himself?

“Penelope, you’re almost there.”

“Why am I alone?”

“You’re not alone…”

“I’m so alone…”

“ _Penelope_ …”

“Where are you?”

“ _I’m here…_ ”

The small circle of sunlight at the end of the tunnel got bigger and bigger. But as it did, the ferociously howling wolf inside Penelope’s head got louder and louder. When she was a mere hundred meters from the entrance of the cave, she’d paused, her body wracked with sobs. The anxiety was too much for her to bear. She couldn’t help but feel there was a snake wrapped around her ribcage, squeezing her tighter and tighter and tighter until she was unable to breathe. “Jojo…” she spat through tears, reaching her hands up to her eyes to rub at the tears that wouldn’t stop flowing and blinding her, causing the circle of sunlight at the end to distort.

Josie had to skid to a halt so as not to crash into her. “Penelope?” she thought perhaps for a moment, her lover might have been able to hear her. They were almost there – almost at the entrance of the cave, almost at the start of their forever together. “It’s okay. You don’t need to cry. I’m right here. When we reach the end, it will all have been worth it-“

Penelope turned around.

A soft gasp escaped both their lips at the exact same time before Josie froze, unable to breathe.

“It’s you…”

“It’s me…”

“Josie…”

“Penelope-“

Penelope stepped forward, reaching out to grasp the girl, ready to pull her out of the cave and into the light. But her hands fell through air, and there was nothing – _no-one_ – there. And instead of the pitch-black tunnel that lead back to the underworld, Penelope could see another circle of light on the other side. She was back in the world of the living.

The girl turned to face the sun, treading slow, heavy steps to the entrance – completely and utterly alone.

Josie had returned to her former resting place. She sighed gently as she laid back down in the bed of red carnations – which Penelope had made for her. The brunette couldn’t bring herself to cry. She didn’t blame Penelope for what had happened – she couldn’t. Hades had given them a chance to make it, and she should have known that there was something there to make it even harder for them. She laid her head down, wincing as the bruise from her deadly fall still remained. “I’ll wait for you.” She said softly. But she’d already forgotten Penelope’s name. And her own. She closed her eyes and slept.

Once the sunlight had hit Penelope’s face, she collapsed to her knees on the stones beneath her. She felt nothing as they tore her dress and scraped her knees. It felt as though she were falling from an impossibly high place. A place so high that perhaps there was no bottom at all – perhaps there was just endless falling.

Something inside of her broke. She had been wounded the first time she lost Josie. But to feel as though she had a chance to bring the love of her life back, and for it to be taken away from her? That was somehow even worse. Penelope knew now that she was right to have doubted herself in the first place. She truly was pathetic. All of the things her mother had told her were wrong. Hermes had no right to have any kind of faith in her. And if she truly was the granddaughter of Helios, like the herald of gods had told her, she was sure that he would be disappointed in her also.

Penelope couldn’t shake Josie’s face from her mind. The last thing she’d seen was the look of complete disappointment on her face. The pain in her eyes of knowing that Penelope had let her down. She had let Josie down and it was all her fault.

She pulled her guitar into her arms and plucked at the strings with next to no effort. She sang one last time. A song in which she vowed to never sing, or play again. A song in which she begged for something to take her right that instant so that she may see Josie again, if she were able to remember herself well enough to find her back in the meadows of Asphodel. Never in her life had the brave, optimistic girl felt so miserable. Never in her life, until now, had she _wanted_ to die. When she found herself unable to sing any longer, one of her guitar strings had snapped and sliced her trembling fingers.

Penelope watched as blood dripped slowly onto the grey, colourless stones in front of her. Grey and colourless the same way the meadow was. A carnation slowly blossomed from the droplets of blood. Soft and bright, like the bed of them that Josie had been asleep in. She brushed the blood from her hands, but every drop seemed to grow another flower, one after another until the petals were spilling from the wounds in her hands – including the deep wound she’d given herself to breathe life back into her love. In the midst of her panic, Penelope had suddenly realized she wasn’t alone.

Hazel eyes darted about nervously, trying to source the sound within the bushes on either side of the track. A very small part of her hoped that maybe, just maybe, Josie’s cherubic face would peer over the bushes with her warm, sunshine smile. And maybe she would say, “Penelope, why did you fall asleep in a tunnel, on the train tracks? That’s awfully dangerous, you know. You’re lucky you’re still alive,” because it all would have been some horrible dream, and Josie would take her home and tend to her wounds and kiss every single one of them over the bandages that she’d tenderly wrap them in. But of course, that was asking too much. She knew that no dream could cause her such pain. It wasn’t until she looked to her left to see the shining yellow eyes of a wolf staring back at her within the shrubs.

The short-haired girl wiped her tears, petals falling from her hand as she cleared her throat and composed herself. “Did you hear my song?” Penelope asked the animal, slumping over and sliding the guitar over her head, sitting it next to her on the track. The wolf hadn’t appeared aggressive. Its eyes seemed sad – sympathetic, almost. It was a great, big beast, but nothing compared to the three-headed dog she’d faced in the underworld. If it weren’t for the journey she’d just embarked on, she would have been terrified. “I was supposed to do great things. But I’ve come to the realization that… I am not capable of great things,” she said through tears, as though the wolf could understand her.

The wolf huffed, a breath of hot, steamy air bursting from its nostrils as Penelope stared it down. It tilted its head to the side and took several steps forward, making the rest of its shaggy furred body visible. Despite its size, it was very clearly underweight. Though it seemed friendly at first, its face wrinkled as it bared its teeth, a fierce growl rumbling through its chest.

“So? Did you hear my song?” she repeated.

All she had felt was a quick, sharp squeeze around her neck.

The wolf had heard her song.


End file.
